is this a Northern thing - Saturday nights out

[EmmaGrundyForPM]

We're staying in Leeds for the weekend, visiting DS who recently moved here. Fabulous city, loads going on.

We went out for a meal last night and I was amazed at what people were (or weren't!) wearing. The women were all amazingly made up and wearing incredibly skimpy outfits. I'm not criticising, but I was amazed that they weren't frozen (no jackets). They all looked incredibly glamorous.

The cities I'm used to are Cambridge, Nottingham, Bristol and London. My dc, now in their 20s, and their friends are in jeans, t-shirts, maybe a pretty top on a Saturday night. These women looked like they were going to a cocktail party but were only going to the pub.

The men also looked a lot smarter than I'm used to - they were in shirts rather than t shirts - but not as dressed up as the women.

I've got a friend who lives in Liverpool who is always talking about her daughters taking 4 hours to get ready for a Saturday night out, but I thought that was just confined to Liverpool. However, the women in Leeds look like they have spent hours getting ready. Lots of them also had a fake tan and their nails done beautifully.

So are northern lasses much more glamorous than us scruffy southerners? And if so, why?

And show the most awful photos of women in terrible tight-fitting dresses - rather than those that are in sober elegant outfits.

That's where you'll find me 😁

I had this same realisation in Starbucks in Newcastle. I felt like a tramp compared to all the other glam women. Absolutely gorgeous!!

Yes - if you compare the genuinely nice photos in the Liverpool Echo, you'd think it was a different event.

She’s long out of uni now, but when we used to visit a dd in Newcastle we were initially 😱 to see masses of young locals out on freezing cold nights, in nothing but very skimpy little outfits (girls) and short sleeved shirts (boys).

Dd explained that you could always tell who were the non-locals - they were the ones wearing coats. Apparently the locals didn’t bother, because they couldn’t be arsed to queue up in clubs to deposit coats.

I put it down to their hardy Viking genes!

This a well known thing that many people mock northern women for. It is snobbery and your faux naivety isn’t fooling anyone OP!

It's the same with the Scottish cities, especially Glasgow and Aberdeen. I do think there's an element of snobbery too - Glasgow is seen as more working class than Edinburgh so Edinburgh people think they're effortlessly cool. They're not.

Superior?

I remember being young in the 80s and going home to put on my Gucci velvet shorts, no tights, that I'd bought in a vintage shop. Wish they fit me now 😂

'Getting ready' is part and parcel of a Saturday night. My daughter ( and me too , many years ago) would have her friends round well before going out time and they would try each others' clothes on, do each others' hair, nails etc. Very enjoyable!

Boys/men also dress (ed) up often ie wear a suit, fancy tie, posh shoes, gel in hair etc.

Been part of the Northern culture ( Manchester and Sheffield at least) for 60 years odd, probably since 19th century. I think it may have started when people working in factories wore 'work clothes' during the week so both sexes wanted to emphasise the fact they now had a choice what to wear and they wanted to dress well to express their own personality.

I expect servants, forced to wear uniforms during the week would also glam up on their days off to get the same sense of expressing their own personality.

If you have to wear either work clothes or a uniform most of the time you only need one or two sets of clothes for 'best' so you can afford to lash out on them a bit.

“There's often/usually a certain sneering at Northern girls who glam up for a night out... all that 'ooh no coats or tights' 'I'm a jeans and jumper sort or girl and so are my daughters'.

All sounds so superior.”

totally agree with this! Being a ‘jeans and jumper girls’ isn’t somehow intrinsically better than being a dressy girl. It’s not a sign of increased intelligence or moral superiority or anything at all.

Like women who don’t wear make up …some of them can be unbearably snug and superior

Indeed, not fooling anyone.

It's working class Northern women that are being talked about - let's be clear.

For sure. My daughter takes hours to get ready. She cheerfully acknowledges that had we stayed in London where she was born, she’d be a lot more ‘alternative’😂

When I was young I lived in Liverpool for a couple of years. I used to love the prep getting ready for a Saturday night out. It used to takes ages, putting rollers in my hair, fake tan, eye lashes etc. I couldn't be arsed with it now but it was good fun at the time.
Nothings changed, I didn't have a ' big coat' going out then either. I do now though!!!

I'm northern and. Is live in the SE. I miss getting dressed up to go out. It just doesn't happen here really

FFS I wasn't trying to be superior. And no, I didn't know that it's a thing in Leeds - I've never been in Leeds before. I love what I've seen of it so far, really buzzing and lively.

I was amazed at how dressed up people are here and was asking if it's a north/south thing because I Don actually have much experience of northern or southern cities, apart from the ones I've listed. I've never been to Brighton or Birmingham on a Satuurday night for instance - maybe people are equally glammed up there?

I often want to rub a bit of anti redness cream on them. I don't wear foundation but some women definitely could do with a bit. But if they're happy looking like farmers 😅

Yeah it’s been that way forever. I’m smack bang in the middle of England so distance wise when we were younger we always, always picked northern cities for a night out. Much more fun and just a better atmosphere!!!! A proper night out.

What’s a night out?! I honestly can’t remember the last time I even went to the pub. This needs to be remedied!

It wasn't just nights out either. Back when I was a young mum (70s and 80s) in my city you'd go shopping, into city centre particularly, in casual (sometimes scruffy clothes.) Friend who lived in Yorkshire was horrified as where she lived you put your best on, did your make up and hair and went to the shops.

@EmmaGrundyForPM I don't think you were trying to be superior at all. It's often eye opening going to different cities. I remember visiting Liverpool and being shocked at the eyebrows and rollers. I'm northern but hadn't seen that.

Liverpool here and it sounds about right.

In my early 20’s it was a given that every weekend included a night out, we wouldn’t even have to arrange it because it was just a given that we’d be out on a Saturday - but this went for older people too. Most of my friends mums and dads always go for a drink or a meal over the weekend - I’ve found nights out are literally part of how we’re brought up. Hair done, make up and some fake tan on and a new dress/shoes and away we go. I love it - but now I have a 9 month old who cramps my style 😂

unless you’re in Essex?

I'm a Liverpudlian. If you think inflated lips, fake tan and cheap looking skimpy clothes are "glam", think again, it's really not. However, far few of us dress like that here than do and a lot of Liverpudlians are very stylish/alt.

Definitely. And if you don't want to dress up I know some places 😉